10 Warm Summer Salads To Make At Home

Boil a kettle. Trim the green beans. Cut the sun-dried tomatoes in half and artichokes into quarters.

Drain the butter beans. Heat a small pan on a medium heat with one teaspoon of oil and add the butter beans with the red pesto for two mins. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes for three minutes. Season with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.

Meanwhile, place the green beans into a steamer for four to six mins until tender.

Peel and de-stone the avocado and cut into small slices.

To make the dressing; in a small bowl, mix or whisk two teaspoons of olive oil with the balsamic vinegar.

Place the rocket on two plates and top with the green beans, avocado and warm red pesto butter beans. Sprinkle over the pumpkin seeds and drizzle over the dressing.

Spread out the Tenderstem on a large baking sheet, along with the mushrooms, gill side up. Drizzle the sesame oil all over and sprinkle on the chilli flakes, if using, and add a generous grind of black pepper.

Make the dressing by whisking the lime juice, soy sauce, honey, garlic and chilli together in a bowl. Add most of the herbs, reserving a little to garnish. Set aside.

Fire up your barbecue ready for grilling so you can cook directly over the charcoal.

Rest the mushrooms, gill side up on the grill bars over the fire and grill for a few minutes until lightly charred. Flip over and grill on the other side, then turn back gill side up and slide away from the heat so they can finish softening through gently whilst you grill the broccoli. Spread the broccoli out over the grill bars above the fire and cook until it’s lightly charred all over, around 8 minutes, depending on how hot your fire is.

Transfer the broccoli to a serving dish. Cut the mushrooms into thick slices and add to the plate. Pour over the dressing and sprinkle over the spring onions, peanuts and reserved herbs.

First make the dressing. Stir together warm water and sugar until completely dissolved. Combine with all other dressing ingredients in a bowl, season to taste and set aside.

Add oil to a frying pan and heat on high until oil is smoking. Add the beef and stir fry for one minute, adding salt and pepper to taste. Beef should be browned on the outside but remain pink in the centre.

Remove beef and allow pan to cool slightly, then add chopped garlic. Stir-fry until fragrant.

In a bowl, combine watercress, red onion, tomato, beef and garlic. Toss with the dressing and mix well, saving the rest of the dressing for later. Serve immediately.

First prepare the pickled red onion (I won’t judge you if you rather go for a store-bought option). Bring the water and vinegar to the boil and add salt, sugar and bay leaf. Slice the onion into thin rings and place it into a bowl. Pour the hot liquid onto the onion and cover with cling film. Let it cool. The reaming heat will cook the onion. If you are making extra, keep the onion in cold liquid in the fridge for up to 10 days.

Prepare now the dressing. Whisk a good pinch of salt and pepper into the balsamic, add the honey and mix. Now add the olive oil while whisking until all combined. This dressing will naturally separate itself, simply whisk again before using.

Cut the apricots in half and remove the stones. Sprinkle with thyme leaves and drizzle with olive oil and mix well. Char the apricot halves on a very hot griddle pan on both sides. It should take no longer than 1 minutes each side. It is important that the pan is very hot, the apricots well-oiled and that you do not attempt to turn them if they don’t look already charred or they could stick to the pan.

Boil the rice following the packet instruction in salted boiling water and let it cool slightly.

In a non-stick pan heat a drizzle of oil and pan fry the feta on both sides. Add a few thyme leaves for aroma. Cook for 2 minutes on each side on high heat and remember to be very gentle when turning the cheese as it is very delicate and crumbly when hot. Do not panic if it breaks or doesn’t come out well golden, the feta work well in this salad even as it is, so it won’t be a problem if not perfectly roasted or if it crumbles.

If not pre-roasted, toast the almond either on a pan or in the oven until golden. When cold, chop them into rough segments.

Now assemble the salad. Drizzle a little oil on the rice and plate in shallow bowls. Add the roasted apricots segments, crumble over the golden feta and top with pickled red onion rings. Drizzle over a spoonful of balsamic dressing and garnish the rice salad with the chopped almonds and fresh rocket salad.

Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C Fan/Gas Mark 5.

Core and deseed the peppers. Arrange in a single layer in a roasting pan. Tuck in the thyme sprigs and scatter over the garlic. Drizzle peppers with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes until peppers are evenly cooked and caramelised at the edges. Remove from the oven, allow them to cool, then slip off their skins. Slice them into thin rings.

While the peppers are roasting, rinse the lentils in cold water and place them in a medium saucepan with just enough fresh water to cover. Simmer with the stock cube for 20 minutes until the lentils are tender, but still holding their shape. Remove lentils from the heat and drain, then drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Whisk the dressing ingredients together until smooth.

Spoon the lentils evenly into a shallow serving bowl or platter, sprinkle over the chocolate flakes, cover with the rocket leaves and arrange the pepper slices on top. Drizzle with dressing, and finish by sprinkling the flaked almonds and last 5g of chocolate flakes over the top.

Rinse the black rice a few times, then bring to the boil in a large pan of water. Cook until al dente following the packet instructions. Once cooked, rinse well to remove the excess colour. Set aside for a moment and leave to cool.

Slice the cucumber lengthways, then scrape out the seeds and chop into 1/2 cm pieces. Chop the apple into similarly sized small pieces. Add the cucumber, apple and shallot to a serving bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice to keep the apple fresh. Add the cooked and cooled black rice, dill, parsley and mint (if using). Flake in the salmon pieces and mix gently to combine everything together.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and season to taste. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir. Do adjust the seasoning once you have done this – it may need more lemon juice or even a squeeze of lime (this depends on the saltiness of the fish and the sweetness of the apple you've used).

Put the chicken into a bowl with the paprika, honey and a tablespoon of the oil. Season well and toss to coat all the chicken pieces.

Heat a large frying pan and add the remaining oil. Fry the chicken pieces briefly over a high heat until golden brown and just cooked through – take care not to overcook them. Remove to a plate, cover with foil and leave to rest for 5 minutes.

Scatter the lettuce over a large serving plate and sprinkle with the dill, spring onions and pickles. Arrange the warm chicken pieces on top.

Measure all the dressing ingredients into a bowl and whisk until combined. Check the seasoning. Pour the dressing over the salad and sprinkle with Parmesan shavings and micro herbs.

Dressing can be made up to a day ahead. Assemble the salad up to 2 hours ahead and dress just before serving.

Pre-heat your oven to 200°C. Toss the butternut squash, red onion and sage leaves with 1tbsp of the olive oil. Season with a little salt and milled pepper and roast for about 20 minutes until nicely coloured.

Cook the kale in boiling water for 20 seconds and drain.

In a frying pan or ideally a griddle pan cook the sliced portobello mushrooms for two to three minutes on either side.

For the dressing, place all the ingredients into a jam jar and shake.

In a salad bowl add the kale, spinach, lentils, butternut, red onions and toss with the dressing. Top with the mushrooms, pomegranate and mixed seeds.

Start by getting most of the water out of the tofu by pressing it in kitchen towel. Then cut it into 2cm cubes and marinate it for at least an hour.

Blitz all the sauce ingredients in a blender.

Blanch the broccoli, so it's still crunchy and then mix together with the other salad ingredients.

Divide the rice between your bowls and top with the mixed salad. Sprinkle the seeds over the top and add the coriander.

Drizzle any leftover marinade dressing over the top and serve with the carrot sauce.

Either with a mandolin or using a vegetable knife, thinly slice the cucumber lengthways. Place in a sieve and sprinkle with sea salt to draw some of the liquid out of the cucumber. Pat dry after 5 minutes.

Steam the broccoli for 3-4 minutes.

Mix all the dressing ingredients together and season with salt and pepper.

Combine with the cucumber and broccoli with the red onion, spring onions and coriander. Toss with the dressing and serve.